A Shot at Love
by LivingInADream95
Summary: After Danny tells Riley he loves her, she starts to wonder if maybe he was telling her the truth. Riley was starting to realize her true feelings for Danny. What will happen if they put themselves out there and tell each other how they feel? Will they finally get there chance to be together? Can Danny get the girl for once?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I know this is short, but I wanted to test the waters out a little before I wrote too much. I know there isn't a lot of Baby Daddy fanfiction on here, and I really want to change that. I hope you like it. Please review, even it it's just a word or two. I really want to know what people think, and it inspires me to write more. **

**Chapter 1:**

Riley couldn't stop thinking about what Danny had said last week to get her out of the sticky situation with Ben. 'Riley, I know this may not be the best time to tell you this, but you need to hear it and I need to say it. I'm in love with you and think we should be together.'

What if Danny wasn't just trying to help her out of the fake marriage to Ben? The more Riley thought about it, the more she believed Danny was serious about what he had said. He was always so sweet to her, always there when she needed him. Would Danny loving her really be so bad?

She could see herself with Danny. He really was a great guy. He even listened to her Ben problems. Riley blushed as she thought of this. She couldn't help but feel guilty for putting him through that. He didn't deserve to hear the woman he loved talk about his brother like that.

Truth be told, Riley no longer felt like she loved Ben. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized he wasn't the guy for her. And the more time she spent with Danny, the more she realized he was.

Riley found herself thinking of Danny all the time. She couldn't seem to get him off of her mind. She wanted to kiss him, be with him. She had even started having wet dreams about him. Her building sexual frustration was excruciating. She started avoiding him now, afraid she might jump on him if they were left alone in the same room for too long. She knew it wasn't fair to avoid him, but she didn't know what else to do.

She wanted to tell Danny how she felt, but was afraid he might not love her back. She didn't think she could handle Danny rejecting her. Her heart just couldn't take it. But could her heart really take not knowing?

She knew Danny wouldn't make the first move. He thought she was still in love with Ben. He had put his heart out there time and time again and she had stomped on it. She couldn't blame him for not making a move if he did love her. Every time he tried she misinterpreted it.

She had to find a way to tell Danny how she felt. He had to know she loved him back. It wasn't Ben, it was never Ben. Riley had come to realize that it had been Danny all along. He was the one she had always turned to when she needed comfort or advice. Even as kids. He never made fun of her for being an overweight child. He wasn't like the rest of the kids. He didn't try to hurt her by calling her "Fatpants". The few times he had used her unfortunate nickname, he had done so in a playful way. He was never mean about it. Riley knew Danny would never hurt her. He was her knight in shining armour.

Danny still couldn't believe he had said that to Riley. Of course she wouldn't believe him. Why would she think he loves her? She would never see him that way. No matter how hard he tried, Riley never saw him as anything other than a friend. It was always Ben. He tried to tell her. He's tried to show her how he feels time and time again, but she just doesn't see it. He doesn't know how to make her see it. He needs her to know that he wasn't acting when he said that he loved her. She needs to know that he meant what he said. He can't let her go without a fight. Ben doesn't deserve her. If he can't see how amazing she is, he doesn't deserve to be with her. He doesn't deserve her love and adoration. He's never there when she needs someone. He's not the one she comes to when she's feeling down. Danny is. Danny has always been there for her, he's the one who should get to be with her.

He would treat her like a queen. Danny knew he would do anything for her. He had known that since he was thirteen years old. Riley was the girl for him. He had never wanted anyone else, never loved anyone else. Sure, he's slept around a lot, but it never meant anything. Those girls never meant anything to him. Most of the time he was just imagining they were Riley anyways. He had stopped sleeping around though. He hasn't been with a woman in months. How could he be when all he ever thinks about is Riley.

She haunts his thoughts. Her scent, her smile, her laugh, those beautiful brown eyes. Everything about her drew him in. She was intoxicating. Danny knew it was true love. No one could love a woman unconditionally for so many years if it wasn't true love. She was the only one for him and he was determined to prove to her that he was the only one for her. There was no way he was going to let her slip away. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did. She was his everything. Seeing Riley was the reason he got up in the morning. She was all he thought about. She haunts his every dream. No matter how hard he has tried, he cannot escape his love for her. He no longer wants to try. Instead, he wants to fight for her. He's going to stop standing idly by while she fawns over a guy who doesn't even see her for who she truly is. He's going to make his move. Danny has decided that he is going to lay it all out on the table. He's finally going to wear his heart on his sleeve.

He knows he may get his heart broken, but it's worth a shot. If there's a chance she loves him back, he has to do something. He has to make the first move. More like the hundredth move, but never the less. Danny was going to do this. But first he needed to think of a plan. He knew he had to get her alone before he could tell her anything, but that was as far as he had truly gotten in his plan.

He could always try telling her again. This time he would make sure she knew he was being honest. He would open himself up to her completely. Telling her everything he felt. Then, after he had let her know how he felt about her, he would kiss her. It wasn't going to be a chaste kiss either. This kiss was going to be the most passionate kiss there ever was. This kiss was going to knock Riley off her toes and show her once and for all that he wasn't pretending when he said he loved her. She won't be able to resist him after this.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I know I should have held out a little longer for this chapter, but I couldn't resist. I've wanted these two together for far too long. I know this chapter's short crazy, but that seems to be my writing style. Short chapters lead to quicker updates. I promise to make the next one longer. Please review, I love hearing what people think!**

**Chapter 3:**

Riley was sitting in her apartment reading _Pride and Prejudice_ for what was probably the hundredth time, when she heard a knock at her door. She hadn't been expecting company today, so she figured it was probably Ben in need of a babysitter for Emma. Ever since Emma's mother left her on Ben's doorstep she had become everyone's responsibility. Riley was often the one stuck babysitting at the last minute. Ben did seem to be taking more responsibility for Emma now though. He didn't leave her with his mother, the guys, or thankfully, Riley, as much anymore. But it still happened from time to time, so it was a pretty safe bet that it was him at the door. She was pleasantly surprised when she opened the door to Danny.

"Hey Danny, what's up?" Riley asked, curious as to why he was here.

"Hey Riles, can we talk?" Danny asked nervously.

"Of course, come in," Riley moved aside and gestured for him to come inside.

"Thanks," Danny said as he entered her apartment.

Danny headed straight for the couch, knowing Riley well enough to not need an invitation to make himself at home. Riley came and sat beside him, looking at him reassuringly as she waited for him to speak.

Danny turned to face her, fidgeting a little as he began to speak, "I wanted to talk to you about the other day at the coffee house… When I told you I loved you "

Riley had a feeling she knew where this was going, which made her nervous as well.

"Oh yeah? What's on your mind?" Riley asked with a shaky voice.

Riley sudden nervousness caught Danny a little off-guard. He hadn't expect to make her nervous, at least not yet. The fact that he wasn't the only one nervous right now did make him feel a little better though.

"Well… There's really no easy way to say this is there?" Danny paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before he continued. "Riley, I meant it when I said I love you. I'm… I'm in love with you Riles. Always have been, always will be. You're like my penguin. You know, because penguins mate for life… Or something like that." He was rambling now.

Riley smiled the broadest smile he had ever seen and reached her hands out to hold his own larger hands. It felt nice having her hands in his.

"Oh Danny, I love you too. I think deep down I always have," Riley admitted, taking a hand back to cup his cheek.

Riley hadn't realized she'd started to cry until Danny gently wiped a tear from her cheek. The intimate gesture warmed Riley's heart.

Danny bit his lip, it was a nervous habit of his. They were looking deep into each other's eyes. Danny slowly leaned in, caressing her face as he drew closer. Riley mirrored his movements until they met in the middle and his lips met hers for the first time. It started off slow, but quickly grew into a heated kiss. The kiss was needy, bringing all of their pent-up sexual frustration to the surface. Riley took over control of the kiss when she ran her tongue against his lips, seeking entrance. It didn't take him long to separate his lips, granting her entrance. Her tongue explored his mouth before finally meeting his and pressing against it.

They continued this until it became too heated and Riley pulled away, resting her forehead against his and panting.

"That was… Amazing" Danny said breathlessly.

Riley chuckled, "It certainly was."

Riley curled into Danny and he wrapped his arms around her protectively, resting his head against hers. He could get used to this.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry about the long wait guys. I've been busy (exam time), and I've had writer's block. Sadly I've had writer's block on all of my stories. I do try to update as frequently as I can, but sometimes there's a lengthy wait. Creativity can't be controlled, it just happens. To all those still reading, thank you for your patience and support. As always, please review. I'd love to hear what you think.**

**Okay so I've had this nearly chapter completed for quite some time now and can't for the life of me remember why I didn't finish it up and post it. I'm really sorry about the stupidly long wait. Hopefully you're willing to give me a second chance.**

**Chapter 3:**

That night after Danny left, Riley found herself lying awake in bed most of the night. Her mind was overloaded with thoughts of Danny. She couldn't believe what had happened today. Danny told her he loved her! No one had ever been in love with Riley before. It may have taken her over a decade to realize her feelings for Danny, but boy was she glad that she did. He was perfect. He was her penguin, as he would say. She smiled as she remembered the conversation.

For the first time in Riley's life she was truly happy. She knew it was going to be awkward at first, dating someone from the same circle of close friends usually was, but it was worth it to be with Danny.

Finally she was able to doze off, all the while dreaming of Danny. Her dreams were of romantic dates and a future life together, typical girly dreams.

Ben found himself plagued by yet another sleepless night. He had been having trouble sleeping ever since that day at the coffee shop. It took pretending to be with Riley to make Ben realized he wanted to be with her for real. He was finally able to see the way she looked at him, the way she always took such an interest in his life. No one had ever treated him as well as she has all these years. She's even great with Emma. Not many girls their age are good with his daughter, they're all too immature.

It may have taken a while to see, but Ben had come to realize what a blessing Emma was in his life. She helped him to grow up. He could no longer act like that ambitionless party animal he had been. He had a daughter who depended on him, he had to be there for her. It took Emma for him to realize who he was, who he could be. He never thought he could handle being a father, but with the help of family and friends he had realized that he could be a great father. Emma was his world.

Emma needed a mother though. Ben wasn't the only one who needed Riley in his life, Emma did too. Ben wanted to complete his family. He had the daughter, now all he needed was the girl. He knew just the woman for the job, Riley. He just hoped he wasn't too late. He hoped she hadn't fallen for Jack. He couldn't believe he'd been so blind. How could he not have realized how great Riley was? He no longer thought of her as Fat Pants. No, now she was Riley, a beautiful, caring, smart, funny, all around amazing woman. He resolved that he would have to start showing Riley how he felt. He was finally going to stop treating her like a sister.

At some point Ben had finally fallen asleep. He was still plagued with thoughts of Riley, but at least he had sorted through them.

When Ben entered the coffee shop Monday afternoon for work, he was surprised to find Riley already there. He had planned to call her on his break, if he hadn't seen her sooner, to ask her to swing by so they could talk. He wasn't expecting to see her so soon though. His breathing rate began to increase just thinking about it.

Was he sure this was what he wanted? Is now the right time? Does she feel the same way? There was a never-ending swirl of questions buzzing around in his head. He was beginning to feel a little frantic. He never got this nervous about anything, let alone telling a girl how he felt about her. But this wasn't just any girl. This was Riley. His lifelong friend and love of his life. He didn't want to do anything to screw this up. He couldn't lose Riley. Ben needed her in his life like he needed oxygen.

Ben headed to the backroom to clock in and put on his apron. At least he had a distraction for a few minutes. Work was always good for that.

When Ben came back out his jaw dropped and he felt like he was going to have a stroke. Riley, his Riley, was kissing Danny! In that moment time seemed to stand still for Ben. Within the span of a few seconds he went through a whirlwind of intense negative emotions. Shock, jealousy, rage, panic, pain, sadness. You name it, he probably felt it.

Ben stood there frozen. He didn't know how to react, what to do. He just stood there staring at them. He probably looked like he had seen a ghost, but at this point he really didn't care. All he cared about was that his heart had just been ripped out and stomped on. Ben's first real love was in love with his brother. How was he ever supposed to get over that? He didn't think he had it in him. He wanted to curl up in a hole and die, but he knew he couldn't. He had to be a mature adult for Emma's sake. She's already lost her mother, she can't lose her father too.

**AN: Yep, that's the way I'm going to leave this chapter. I'm cruel, I know. Please review, I could really use the inspiration. Oh and by the way, I know I'm being harsh on Ben right now, but I promise good things will come for him later on.**


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